Sunday:
February 29, 2004 | |
0001 GMT |
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Nearest, youngest star with planet nursery found
Astronomers have discovered the nearest and youngest star with a visible disk of dust that may be a nursery for planets. The dim red dwarf star is a mere 33 light years away, close enough that the Hubble Space Telescope or ground-based telescopes with adaptive optics to sharpen the image should be able to see whether the dust disk contains clumps of matter that might turn into planets.
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Anomalies in makeup of interplanetary dust particle
Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Washington University have seen carbon and nitrogen anomalies on a particle of interplanetary dust that provides a clue as to how interstellar organic matter was incorporated into the solar system.
FULL STORY
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IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today
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Space Shuttle Processing Status Report -- Updates about work being performed on NASA's three space shuttles -- Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour -- as well as preparations for Return to Flight is released by Kennedy Space Center.

Bound for Space Technology Hall of Fame -- The Space Foundation has announced the selection of four "down to earth" technologies for induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Three were spawned by NASA efforts, and the fourth by the work of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
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Saturday:
February 28, 2004 | |
0231 GMT |
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Cassini captures stunning view of Saturn
Four months before its scheduled arrival at Saturn, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft sent its best color postcard back to Earth of the ringed world. The spacecraft is expected to send weekly postcards, as it gets closer to the ringed giant.
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Two simultaneous 'naked-eye' comets expected
A naked-eye comet - one visible to the unaided eye without telescope or binoculars - is an enjoyable sight, particularly for the brighter comets. On average, a naked-eye comet graces our skies about once every two years. Only rarely do two relatively bright naked-eye comets appear simultaneously. Such an event will take place in April and May.
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Friday:
February 27, 2004 | |
0733 GMT |
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Rocket trouble delays Rosetta until next week
Launch of Europe's ambitious Rosetta mission to orbit a comet and deliver a tiny lander onto the icy surface has been postponed yet again -- this time by insulating foam that detached from the Ariane 5 rocket's main stage.
FULL STORY
MISSION STATUS CENTER - updates
ROSETTA FACT SHEET
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
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Suit problem forces early end to station spacewalk
Astronaut Michael Foale and cosmonaut Alexander Kalari cut short their spacewalk from the International Space Station Thursday evening because of a cooling problem with Kalari's space suit.
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MISSION STATUS CENTER
EARLIER STORY
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: ANNOUNCEMENT OF EARLY END TO SPACEWALK QT
VIDEO: ANIMATION SHOWS SPACEWALK TO-DO LIST QT
VIDEO: COMMANDER FOALE DISCUSSES THE SPACEWALK QT
VIDEO: SPACEWALK PREVIEW NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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Rover shows sunset on Mars
Capturing an awe-inspiring view, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has photographed the setting Sun from its landing site. In addition to the sunset images, scientists released a variety of other pictures at Thursday's rover science news conference.
MISSION CONTROL REPORT
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: WATCH MARTIAN SUNSET WITH NARRATION QT
VIDEO: 3-D TOPOGRAPHIC MODEL OF OPPORTUNITY CRATER QT
VIDEO: REAR-LOOKING PANORAMA FROM SPIRIT W/NARRATION QT
VIDEO: FRONT-LOOKING PAN W/NARRATION SHOWS BONNEVILLE QT
VIDEO: NEW COLOR IMAGERY IS EXPLAINED BY SCIENTIST QT
VIDEO: STUDY OF WIND BLOWN EFFECTS ON MARS QT
VIDEO: THURSDAY'S ROVER SCIENCE NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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Thursday:
February 26, 2004 | |
0735 GMT |
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Winds keep Rosetta comet chaser Earthbound
Today's launch of the Ariane 5 rocket to propel the Rosetta spacecraft on its voyage to intercept comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko has been postponed due to unfavorable high-altitude winds. Liftoff has been rescheduled for early Friday morning.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
ROSETTA FACT SHEET
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
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Second star, not planet, explains 'winking star'
Since its discovery in 1998, the "winking star" called KH 15D has baffled astronomers seeking to explain its long-lasting (24-day) eclipses. Many hypothesized that the eclipses were caused by intervening blobs of material within a protoplanetary disk surrounding a single, young Sun-like star.
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Cosmic dark ages lasted for more than a billion years
The early universe was veiled with a fog of neutral hydrogen and helium. Even the brilliant ultraviolet (UV) light of stars in the first primordial galaxies could barely penetrate the all-absorbing curtains of gas, leading some astronomers to term that era the cosmic "Dark Ages."
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Space station spacewalk set for Thursday
The International Space Station will be unoccupied for several hours Thursday as the two residents step outside for a spacewalk to work on external experiments and equipment. The EVA by Expedition 8 commander Michael Foale and flight engineer Alexander Kaleri begins at 4:14 p.m. EST (2114 GMT) and is scheduled to last five-and-a-half hours.
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: SPACEWALK PREVIEW NEWS CONFERENCE QT
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Wednesday:
February 25, 2004 | |
0620 GMT |
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Rosetta comet chaser to launch Thursday morning
Europe's vaunted $1 billion Rosetta comet explorer is poised to set off on its decade-long journey early Thursday morning. In the last major event before the final countdown begins, the Ariane 5 rocket rolled out of its assembly building to the launch pad Tuesday.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
ROSETTA FACT SHEET
LAUNCH EVENTS TIMELINE
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SORCE satellite celebrates year of operations
Having marked its first anniversary on orbit, NASA's Solar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) satellite has hit its stride. In concert with other satellites, SORCE's observations of the sun's brightness are helping researchers better understand climate change, climate prediction, atmospheric ozone, the sunburn-causing ultraviolet-B radiation and space weather.
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: WATCH ENTIRE 11-MINUTE LAUNCH OF PEGASUS QT or RV
VIDEO: TAXI OF ORBITAL CARRIER AIRCRAFT TO RUNWAY QT or RV
VIDEO: L-1011 CARRIER JET TAKES OFF FROM CAPE QT or RV
VIDEO: T-38 DEPARTS THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER QT or RV
VIDEO: AERIAL INSPECTION BY T-38 CHASE PLANE QT or RV
VIDEO: POST-LAUNCH COMMENTS BY NASA MANAGER QT or RV
VIDEO: PRE-LAUNCH NEWS CONFERENCE QT or RV
VIDEO: AN OVERVIEW OF THE SORCE PROJECT QT or RV
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IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today
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NASA selects 22 projects to advance human support technologies -- NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research recently selected 22 researchers to receive grants of up to four years to conduct research and development in advanced human support technologies. These technologies are expected to have a significant impact on the ability of humans to conduct long-duration space flight missions safely.

'And the Laurel Goes to...The Spitzer Space Telescope!' -- Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine has honored the teams that built NASA's new Spitzer Space Telescope with a 2003 Aerospace Laurel award. The awards, now in their 47th year, recognize outstanding achievements in the global field of aerospace.
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Tuesday:
February 24, 2004 | |
0419 GMT |
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Scientists watch neutron star explosion in real time
A neutron star halfway across the Milky Way galaxy is ready for its close-up. A rare and massive explosion on this star illuminated the region and allowed scientists to view details never seen before, virtually bringing the scientists to the action occurring just a few miles above the star's surface.
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Video coverage for subscribers only:
VIDEO: ANIMATION SHOWS THE NEUTRON STAR EXPLOSION QT
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Europe prepares mission to search for life on Mars
Before humans can leave their boot prints on the dusty surface of Mars, many questions have to be answered and many problems solved. One of the most fundamental questions - one that has intrigued humankind for centuries - is whether life has ever existed on Mars, the most Earthlike of all the planets.
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IN OTHER NEWS Additional stories making news today
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Study moves in on why astronauts suffer bone loss -- A new study by researchers at San Francisco VA Medical Center moves in on the physiological basis for the bone density loss experienced by people subjected to prolonged periods of bed rest and by astronauts who fly lengthy missions under the weightless conditions of space.

Lockheed Martin creates exploration organization -- Lockheed Martin has formed a new organization to manage the Corporation's efforts in support of NASA's space exploration initiative. The organization, which will be called Space Exploration, will be led by John C. Karas and be headquartered in Denver, Colo., as part of the Space Systems Company.
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Monday:
February 23, 2004 | |
0343 GMT |
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Explaining Martian colors
How do you display a picture of Mars taken with an electronic eye, capable of seeing wavelengths of light that are invisible to humans? Welcome to the wonderful world of 'false' color...
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Mars Express shoots Kasei Vallis outflow channel
This image shows various details which give an insight into the erosional history of the outflow channel. The image also illustrates how difficult it is to achieve near-true color in images of Mars when atmospheric dust and haze have a major disturbing influence on the scene.
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Rovers probing rocks, soil
The twin Mars Exploration Rovers spent the weekend hard at work on opposite sides of the planet as Opportunity examined exposed bedrock and Spirit studied the trench it dug in the soil.
MISSION STATUS CENTER
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